NCJ Number
229810
Journal
Journal of Family Violence Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2010 Pages: 205-214
Date Published
February 2010
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study used data from the Washington State 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System to examine the relationship between a history of abuse and current suicidal ideation.
Abstract
The relationship between a history of physical or sexual abuse and current suicidal ideation was examined in the current study based on data from the Washington state 2002 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Out of the total sample of 4,081, 1,058 indicated they had experienced either physical or sexual abuse before the age of 18, 52 indicated they had experienced physical abuse in the past 12 months, and 210 indicated they had been forced to have sex since the age of 18. Additionally, 106 indicated they had seriously considered committing suicide in the past year. After controlling for such factors as age, gender, income, education, race, employment and marital status and the interactions between different abuse risk factors using multivariate logistic regression, results showed that a history of childhood physical (OR=2.31, 95 percent CI=1.364, 3.90) or sexual (OR=2.72, 95 percent CI=1.58, 4.67) abuse and adult physical (OR=27.30, 95 percent CI=11.64, 64.01) or sexual (OR=5.87, 95 percent CI=3.24, 10.63) abuse all were related to current suicidal ideation. Implications for future research are discussed. Tables and references (Published Abstract)